Why doesn't the Nintendo Switch work with Bluetooth earbuds? It's a question that has haunted gamers everywhere, and while you could buy a $25 dongle to fix the problem, LG just introduced a better option. Its new TONE Free FP9 earbuds' charging case doubles as a Bluetooth dongle, and it can conveniently add Bluetooth capabilities to any non-Bluetooth device.
Man, I wish all wireless earbuds had this feature. The TONE Free FP9 charging case acts as a Bluetooth transmitter when it connects to a non-Bluetooth device's headphone jack. LG suggests using this feature on an airplane's entertainment system, but it could also come in handy while gaming on a Nintendo Switch (or even a Game Boy), using a budget non-Bluetooth TV, or listening to music on an older phone with crappy Bluetooth audio codec support.
Just one note---this feature is exclusive to LG's new TONE Free FP9 earbud. The company is also launching new FP8 and FP5 earbuds that lack the Bluetooth transmitter feature (but are otherwise very similar to the FP9.
Other features in these headphones include ANC and transparency modes, multi-device pairing, 24-hour total battery life (22 for the FP5) and an IPX5 water-resistance rating. The FP9 and FP8 charging cases also feature a built-in UV-C sanitizer, and the FP8 offers wireless charging.
LG says that the new TONE Free FP series will go on sale "this month." Given that there are only a few days left in July, we expect the earbuds to launch before this weekend. Pricing is still unannounced, though LG says that it won't offer the FP5 buds in the Haze Gold colorway.